Born: 19 February 1473 · Died: 24 May 1543 · Age at death: 70
How old was Nicolaus Copernicus when he died?
Nicolaus Copernicus died aged 70. He was born on 19 February 1473 and died on 24 May 1543.
Polish astronomer who proposed that the Earth and planets orbit the Sun, launching the scientific revolution
Did you know?He was a true polymath who also worked as a physician, economist, and diplomat throughout his life.
Quick facts
Date of birth19 February 1473
Date of death24 May 1543
Age at death70
Cause of deathStroke
NationalityPolish
BirthplaceToruń, Poland
Occupationastronomer, jurist, economist
Editor's Take:
Copernicus quietly started one of the biggest shifts in human thinking by moving the Earth out of the centre of the universe. For more than a thousand years, scholars had accepted that the Sun, planets and stars all circled us. His careful calculations showed that the heavens made more sense if the Earth and other planets travelled around the Sun instead. He hesitated for decades before publishing, and his great book appeared only in the year he died. The change he set in motion, now called the Copernican Revolution, paved the way for Galileo, Kepler and Newton.
Key Milestones
1491: Enters the University of Kraków
1514: Circulates a first outline of his Sun-centred system
1543: Publishes On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center.
Nicolaus Copernicus's birthday is February 19. He was born on February 19, 1473 in Toruń, Poland.
How old was Nicolaus Copernicus when he died?
Nicolaus Copernicus died on May 24, 1543, aged 70.
Who shares a birthday with Nicolaus Copernicus?
Famous people who share Nicolaus Copernicus's February 19 birthday include Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Svante August Arrhenius, Harun al-Rashid, Saparmyrat Nyýazow and Jennifer Doudna.
